My Aunt Sue’s: FFfAW

It had been 20 years since I had been to Aunt Sue’s house. As me and several cousins sit on the front porch sipping iced tea and reminiscing, I realized that every single memory that I have of being at that house when I was growing up, was a good memory.

From my Uncle Joe always laughing to my Mama and my Aunt Sue in the kitchen pulling taffy. They would get so tickled that they would have to get someone to relieve them on their end of that taffy while they ran to the bathroom.

My family has been cursed with tragedies and bad memories. In every direction that I turn, I will see something that reminds me of those memories.

A drive along the streets where a lot of my family lived, is very depressing when I realize how many people are now gone.

However, here, things stay the same. With the rocking chairs, porch swing and the wind chimes making sweet music, it is as if time stands still in Aunt Sue’s house.

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175 words

Writing challenge week 8. The goal is to write a story between 100-150 words (give or take 25 words) based on the provided photo.

To add your own stories please click on the blue froggie

I Never Knew Why

Larry was considered a “slow learner” and was allowed to quit school in the 6th grade. As his younger sister, I was a nuisance to him and he wanted nothing to do with me. He ridiculed me and called me names. Our parents never disciplined him.

I never knew why.

If I tattled on him for being mean to me, I was hushed and told to leave him alone. He never learned to drive and never did a day’s work. He did nothing but sit around, eat and smoke cigarettes and let the ashes fall in the floor. Our mother waited on him hand and foot, cooked for him and always had a broom in her hand. ready to sweep up his falling cigarette ashes.

I never knew why

Why I am still Here.

I had almost made up my mind that Blogging 201 was just not going to happen for me. I felt out of place and just not good enough. (pity party)… But then I looked back at my previous course of Blogging 101 and saw something that I kinda liked. I wasn’t half bad. Not a seasoned writer, for sure, but I did ok for my first ever public writing.

Blog For Mental Health

“I pledge my commitment to the Blog for Mental Health 2015 Project. I will blog about mental health topics not only for myself, but for others. By displaying this badge, I show my pride, dedication, and acceptance for mental health. I use this to promote mental health education in the struggle to erase stigma.”

I believe nothing happens by accident. Everything happens for a reason. Finding this site was meant to happen, today!

http://blogformentalhealth.com/

Today, well, all week, actually has been one of those weeks when everything just seems off. I have never been officially diagnosed with anything other than depression/anxiety. Not that that isn’t enough. But I know there is more going on, in me and in my whole family. My brother is the only one that has been diagnosed..He was considered Schizophrenic from an early age and growing up with him was very trying, especially when it was all supposed to be a secret. We weren’t supposed to talk about it. He didn’t finish school because he was “slow”. So much time was focused on him that no one noticed that the rest of us had issues also. We have had 4 suicides in a 10 year stretch. The more tragedies that we have, the less we talk. I haven’t spoken to some of my family in 8 years due to the fact that I asked too many questions on why we are the way we are. And since some don’t believe that they are anything less than perfect, I am the outcast. I am the troublemaker. We have had a few more attempted suicides and even more have become alcohol and drug dependent. I  am ready to come out and face the problems and I want to teach my children that this should not be something kept secret. Talk to me, talk to someone. I need to get help for myself and then maybe I can help my children and the other younger generations. So I proudly take the pledge today!